The closure takes effect Jan. 17, 2014. At that time, Powell customers’ accounts will be transferred to Bank of the West’s Cody branch, said Debra Jack, a bank spokeswoman at its San Francisco headquarters.
“We want to make this transition …
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Following an “extensive review of branch usage trends,” Bank of the West brass have decided to close the bank’s Powell branch.
The closure takes effect Jan. 17, 2014. At that time, Powell customers’ accounts will be transferred to Bank of the West’s Cody branch, said Debra Jack, a bank spokeswoman at its San Francisco headquarters.
“We want to make this transition as seamless as possible,” Jack said in an email. “Customer account numbers will stay the same, and customers can continue to use their current checks and deposit slips as well as their current ATM, debit and credit cards.”
Jack said there will also be no changes to customers’ digital services, including online bill pay and mobile banking. She said Bank of the West’s network of branches continues to play a pivotal role for customers, but “at the same time, more and more customers are banking online and on-the-go.”
Asked whether employees would be laid off as a result of the Powell branch’s closure, Jack said “we are supporting employees during this period of change and will assist them where possible in finding other opportunities within the bank.”
Powell branch manager Chris Cox declined comment on the pending closure.
The bank — located on the corner of Absaroka and Second streets — was first established in 1963 as American National Bank of Powell. It later became a Key Bank of Wyoming branch, then a branch of Community First Bank before being acquired by Bank of the West in December 2004.
“We have enjoyed being members of the Powell community and thank our customers for their business,” Jack said. “We look forward to continuing to be their banking partner moving forward.”
As of the first quarter of this year, Bank of the West had 10,140 employees and 615 retail locations in the western and midwestern United States. The bank has branches in 22 Wyoming communities, including a location in Meeteetse that Jack said will remain open.